UHS Chenango Memorial officially opened its new North Parking Lot on Monday. The two-acre lot adds 100 new spaces to alleviate congestion and ensure spaces closest to the main entrance can be reserved for patient parking. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH – With construction ramping up and an influx of patient traffic as services resume, parking has increasingly become a challenge at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital over the last few weeks. That changed Monday, however, when the Norwich hospital opened its new North Parking Lot.

The lot, which faces Thompson Drive, adds 100 freshly paved parking spaces designated primarily for employee and contractor parking.

According to David Finney, Vice President of Clinical Services at UHS Chenango Memorial, these additional spaces have already helped relieve the congestion in the main lot and ensure patients are able to park as close to the main entrance as possible.

“At UHS Chenango Memorial, we believe in putting our patients first. Reserving parking for their convenience is one more way we can show our commitment to that guiding principle,” he explained.

Finney said this is especially true now, when people may have extra anxiety about seeking care in light of COVID-19.

“We’ve implemented numerous infection control and social distancing measures, including restricting all visitation and screening anyone who enters the facility. These changes, coupled with the construction, can be confusing for those who haven’t been here over the last couple of months,” he explained.

“We hope making their arrival as easy and convenient as possible will help put them at ease.”

According to Finney, the two-acre lot has already become a popular place for employees to park.

“We are grateful to our staff for so willingly taking these extra steps to put our patients first,” he said.

The opening of the new lot is timely, but according to the hospital administrator, this new arrangement is part of the facility’s long term plan.

“Looking to the future, patient entrances for both our new Emergency Room and Walk-In will both face the Main Lot, which will make it even more important for these spaces to be reserved for patient use,” said Finney.

These new facilities are part of a $26 million investment by the hospital in Phase 1 of the Chenango Medical Neighborhood Plan. The work is the largest concentrated investment in the Norwich hospital in 50 years. Both the new Emergency Department and Walk In are slated to open in October 2021.

UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital is a member of United Health Services, a locally owned not-for-profit 916-bed hospital and health care system serving the Greater Binghamton region from more than 40 locations around New York’s Southern Tier.

-Submitted article